Gas lighter valve



GAS LIGHTER VALVE Filed March 26, 1952 INVENTOR. RA Y L. BUECHETT.

ATTO NE).5

Patented Mar. 16, 1954 GAS LIGHTER VALVE Ray L. Burchett, East Orange,N. J., asslgnor to Ronson Art Metal Works, Inc., Newark, N. J acorporation of New Jersey Application March 26, 1952, Serial No. 278,630

4 Claims. (01. 677.1)

This invention relates to a novel valve construction, which, among otherpossible uses, is particularly adapted for controlling the flow of gasat the burner in lighters such as are used for lighting cigars,cigarettes or pipes, and which utilize butane or other gas as fuel.

Such lighters are normally and conveniently held upright when being usedto light cigars or cigarettes, that is, with the orifice of the burnerdown into the pipe to ignite the tobacco without holding the pipe in anunnatural position. However, if the common forms of lighters usingeither liquid or gaseous fuel are inverted for pipe lighting purposes,the flam if of a form desirable for cigarette lighting, will tend tostream back against the burner and the'lighter body instead of beingprojected downwardly.

In accordance with the present invention, a gas valve is provided ofsuch construction that when the flame is in upright position as forlighting cigarettes, it will be of a relatively fat cross-section andnot extend too high to be safe and convenient for that purpose. But if,on the other hand, the burner is inverted for pipe lighting purposes,then automatically the valve will act to produce a flame which will beprojected forcefully downward as a jet and with a quite narrowcross-section for a considerable distance, the flame finally terminatingin a bulged-out portion, of such size and sufficiently spaced below theburner orifice so that it will fully ignite the surface of the tobaccoin the pipe bowl even though the level of the tobacco is considerablybelow th rim of the pipe bowl.

With the presently preferred form of the invention, a valve means forthis purpose i provided having therein. a member which, when the burneris upright, allows gas to escape in a way suitable for the cigarettelighting flame, but when the burner is inverted, the effect of gravityon this member is such that it will shift its position and provide aburner outlet orifice such as to produce a forceful downward jet oftheburning gas. 7

Other and more specific objects, features and advantages of theinvention will appear from the detailed description given below, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of thisspecification and illustrate by way of example the presently preferredembodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of lighter embodying theinvention and being held and operated in a position for lighting tobacco'in the bowl of a pipe;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the novel valve means in uprightposition for producing a flame such as desirable for cigarette lightingpurposes;

Fig. 3 is a view like Fig. 2 except showing the burner in invertedposition for producing a downwardly projected jet flame; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a somewhat modified formof construction.

Referring now to the drawings in further detail, Fig. 1 illustrates alighter constructed in accordance with the invention, being operated tolight tobacco in the bowl 9 of a pipe. This lighter, for example, mayhav a well known form of spring restored depressible fingerpiece l0,pyrophoric lighting means at l l and a pivoted snuffer I 2, operativelyinterconnected and mounted upon the top l3 of a fuel receptacle I4 inthe manner disclosed, for example, in the patent to Louis V. Aronson,No. 2,002,845. However, the construction of that patent, for thepurposes of the present invention, is supplemented with featuresadapting the fuel container to receive butane or other gas underpressure and maintained partially liquefied if desired, Also a gasburner indicated generally at 15, is provided, having a valve operatedby a depressible stem 16, the valve being normally held closed by theac-'- tion of .a spring-pressed ball I! in th snuffer l2 when the latteris in closed position. Construc tions as of Fig. 1 as thus fardescribed, have heretofore been marketed with a gas outlet at the valvesuch as to produce a flame of the relative proportions indicated at ISin Fig. 2 and ideally suitable for cigar and cigarette lightingpurposes.

The modified form of valve means adapting same to provide either a flamesuch as I8 in Fig. 2 or a pipe lighting jet flame as shown in Figs. 1, 3and 4, will now be described with more particular reference to Fig. 2.Here it will be noted that the valve stem [6 is mounted within apostlike burner element l9 having a central aperture 20 within whichstem I6 is slidable with sufiicient clearance so as to provide anannular passage about the stem large enough for gas to pass uptherethrough at a relatively low velocity, such gas serving to providethe major part of the fuel for a flame of the form shown at l8 when theburner is upright. The stem is formed with a central bore 2| which isconsiderably restricted at its upper end at 22. The stem at its lowerend has a transverse slot 23 which brings the bore into communicationwith the space beneath the post I9. The lower end of the stem has aflanged portion 24 surmounted by a conical portion 25 which, when thestem is in elevated position as hereinafter described, is adapted tocome into contact with a shoulder 26 on the interior of the post I9 andto thereby shut off the annular gas passage about the stem but leavingopen the passage 2|, 22.

The butane or other gas or liquefied gas is contained within a mass ofcotton or the like 21, which is held away from the lower valve parts aby a helical spring 28. When the snufier cap is raised, gas passes upinto the valve body 29 through an aperture 38, thence through a filterplate 3| and through the central aperture of a bushing 32. The gas thenpasses through a suitably dimensioned orifice 33 of known type, formedin an orifice housing member .34, such housing member being threadedinto the valve body portion 29, in the manner shown. The bore 35 justabove the orifice 33 is normally closed by a suitable synthetic rubberor other resilient disc 36 adhered to the lower end of the stem [6, thisdisc as well as the stem normally being held down to seal off theorifice by reason of the springpressed ball I! (Fig. 1) held inengagement with the upper end of the stem through the action of theusual fingerpiece restoring spring. But when the snuffer is raised fromthe burner as in .Fig. 1, the pressure of the gas through the orifice 33will cause the disc 36 and the stem carrying the same to rise to theposition shown in Fig. 2, whereby gas, in effect metered by the orifice33, passes up into the cavity beneath the post i 9 and from there passesat relatively low velocity through the passage at 20, some gas alsopassing through the restricted bore 22 in the stem. But the passages 20and 22, taken together, are large enough so that the velocity of the gaspassing therethrough will not cause the flame to project abnormallyhigh.

However, when the lighter and the valve mechanism are inverted, as shownin Fig. .3, gravity will cause the stem 16 to drop to the position hereshown and the annular passage 20 will be closed 01f or substantiallyclosed off by reason of the engagement of the portions 25, 26.Accordingly, under these conditions, all or substantially all of the gasdischarged through the orifice 33 will be channeled through therestricted bore 22 in the outlet end of the stem and consequently itsvelocity upon discharge will be substantially greater than with theparts as shown in Fig. 1.

' By a suitable peening operation, the size of the orifice 33 may be soadjusted as compared with the size of the restricted bore portion 22,that a flame will be produced of the approximate shape shown in Fig. 3when the lighter is inverted. With gas pressures and a gas orifice suchas heretofore commonly used in gas fuel pocket lighters, the flame mayreadily be made to extend downwardly with the shape shown in Fig. 3 fora distance of about an inch, if desired, and thus ample to easily lighttobacco in the lower part of the bowl of a pipe. The lower part of thisjet form of flame tends to spread or bulge out in the manner indicated,so that it is well adapted for lighting uniformly a considerable surfacearea of the tobacco, yet the flame above this lower bulged out portionhas a quite small cross-section, and thus same can readily be kept outof burning contact with the rim of the pipe bowl.

It is not essential that the annular passage at 20 be completely sealedoff by the engaging portions 25, '26 and in fact slight leakage pastthese portions may be desirable and will cause a small annularpilot-like flame as indicated at 31, insuring that the gas streampassing through the restriction 22 will remain lighted. In some casesthe jet efiect through the restriction 22 will be such that the gastends to travel for some distance down before it is lighted, but theflame at 31 will insure that the jet flame will not be extinguished evenif the lighter is moved about abruptly.

In case it is preferred more securely to seal off the gas passage at 20when the lighter is inverted, the construction shown in Fig. 4 may beutilized, wherein the stem I6 at its inner end is embraced by a suitableresilient washer 25' for engaging the shoulder 25 on the burner post. Inother respects the construction of the embodiment of Fig. 4 may be thesame as or similar to that of Fig. .2.

A valve construction is thus provided according to the invention, whichis operable to produce either a normal flame or a jet-lik flame forpipe-lighting purposes, merely by inverting the lighter. Thus it isunnecessary to manipulate any mechanism or moving parts to adjust theflame for either purpose and the valve is such that it may bemanufactured at substantially no greater cost than gas lighter valvesheretofore known and which were adapted only for producing the normalcigarette lighting form of flame.

Furthermore, the construction is such that regardless of whether thenormal flame or the jetlike flame is being produced, the fuel will beconsumed at the same rate as determined by the orifice 33. Heretoforecertain attempts to provide a satisfactory lighter for pipe lightingpurposes have involved the difiiculty of requiring the burning of fuelat a considerably increased rate with consequent necessity ofreplenishing the fuel in the lighter at inconveniently frequentintervals. Furthermore it may be noted that the modification of theflame from one type to the other takes place immediately andautomatically upon inverting or restoring the lighter to uprightposition by a relatively quick movement of the hand. However, ifdesired, the weight of the stem It may be such that once it has assumedthe position for creating a jet flame as in Fig. 3, the lighter may beslowly turned to upright position without movement of the stem, thereby,if desired also making possible an upright jet form of flame. The valvemay of course be embodied in various types of lighting devices otherthan that shown in Fig. 1.

'Although certain particular embodiments of the invention are hereindisclosed for purposes of explanation, various further modificationsthereof, after study of this specification, will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art to which the invention pertains. Reference shouldaccordingly be had to the appended claims in determining the scope ofthe invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a lighter construction having a reservoir for containingcompressed gas, a burner valve comprising a valve stem, an orificeadjacent the inner end of said stem and normally closed thereby, a posthaving an opening within which said stem is vertically movable, wherebywhen the stem is released, it will be moved by the gas pres sure to opensaid orifice, said post opening in conjunction with said stem beingshaped to then provide a gas outlet of relatively large cross-sec tionalarea, for forming a relatively wide and short flame, said stem beingfree to move fur ther from orifice closing position by the action ofgravity when the lighter is inverted, the stem in conjunction with thepost opening being shaped to then substantially restrict thecrosssectional area of such gas outlet, for forming a jet-like andrelatively elongated flame.

2. In combination with a lighter construction having a reservoir forcontaining compressed gas, a burner valve therefor having a gas outletpressure control element movable to one position when the lighter isgenerally upright and to another position by the action of gravity whenthe lighter is generally inverted, said element when in said otherposition being shaped and arranged to confine the gas stream from theburner outlet to a relatively high pressure jet-like form for producingan elongated flame adapted for pipe lighting purposes, and said elementwhen in said first-described position allowing escape of a lessrestricted and lower pressure gas stream for producing a shorter flameadapted for cigarette lighting purposes.

3. A gas burner and valve construction adapted when in generally uprightposition to produce a relatively short flame and when in generallyinverted position to produce a relatively elongated flame, saidconstruction comprising a member having an orifice for controlling theescape of gas from a reservoir, means forming a chamber at the outletside of such orifice, such means having an opening and a stem membervertically slidable in such opening, the normally lower end of such stemhaving means to shut off the flow of gas through said orifice when thestem is depressed, the gas pressure serving to elevate the stem whenreleased to open the orifice, said stem having suflicient clearance insaid opening to then provide for the discharge of gas from said chamberat relatively low velocity to form a short flame, said stem also beingformed with a restricted gas outlet passage from said chamber, and thestem upon inverting the construction being free to move by the action ofgravity into a position to substantially shut of the gas flow throughsaid clearance to then substantially confine the escape of gas to saidrestricted passage for providing a relatively higher pressure gas jet toproduce the elongated flame.

4. A gas burner and valve construction adapted when in generally uprightposition to produce a relatively short flame and when in generallyinverted position to produce a relatively elongated flame, saidconstruction comprising a member having an orifice for controlling theescape of gas from a reservoir, means forming a chamber at the outletside of such orifice, such means having an opening and a stem membervertically slidable in such opening, the normally lower end of such stemhaving means to shut off the flow of gas through said orifice when thestem is depressed, the gas pressure serving to elevate the stem whenreleased to open the orifice, said stem having sufiicient clearance insaid opening to then provide for the discharge of gas from said chamberat relatively low velocity to form a short flame, said stem also beingformed with a restricted gas outlet passage from said chamber, and thestem upon inverting the construction being free to move by the action ofgravity into a position to nearly shut ofi the gas flow through saidclearance to then largely confine the escape of gas to said restrictedpassage for providing a relatively higher pressure gas jet to producethe elongated flame, while at the same time a small amount of gascontinues to flow through said clearance space to provide a pilot light.

RAY L. BURCHETT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 724,685 Evans Apr. 7, 1903 2,538,806 st. Clair Jan. 23, 19512,582,028 Goldman et a1. Jan. 8, 1952 2,620,643 Nissen Dec. 9, 1952

